Captain dead, four others missing after ferry capsizes off Koh Samui, Thailand

Thai media has reported that one person was killed and four others have gone missing after a passenger vessel capsized in storm-hit waters off the resort island of Koh Samui on Saturday, August 1.

Raja 4, a 42-metre Ro-Pax vessel operated by local company Raja Ferry, was sailing from Koh Samui to Don Sak when strong winds and rough waves caused it to capsize about two nautical miles off Koh Samui at around 22:00 local time on Saturday.

Local marine police units despatched two patrol boats to the area of the incident to render assistance to those on the distressed vessel. Seven crewmembers and two passengers were safely pulled out of the water despite the worsening weather.

Another two crewmembers who were initially reported as missing were able to swim to the nearby island of Koh Taen, where local residents provided them with food and water before handing them over to the authorities.

At 13:30 on Sunday, August 2, rescuers found the lifeless body of an individual who had washed ashore on Koh Mod Daeng island. This victim was later identified as Raja 4‘s captain.

Two other crewmembers and two passengers were still unaccounted for as of late afternoon on Sunday.

Raja 4 was transporting three 10-wheel lorries, a pick-up truck, and an undetermined quantity of garbage at the time of the incident.